Heel spur treatment with folk remedies

The problem of heel spurs is far from new and over many decades of familiarity with it, folk medicine has developed many recipes for combating the disease. It is important to understand that a small bone growth on the heel itself does not pose a danger to life. But it brings enormous physical suffering, to endure which means to condemn yourself to a life full of suffering.

But is it worth enduring the torment, limiting yourself in movement, provoking various disorders in the body, if the inflammation and pain can be relieved in just two weeks by means of a variety of pharmaceutical drugs, most of which should be used externally without fear for the health of the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys? And even if a person does not trust doctors or does not have the opportunity to buy expensive effective drugs, you can always dig into the bins of traditional medicine and find a suitable recipe for treating heel spurs with harmless natural remedies.

True, when choosing effective folk recipes from the many offered on the Internet, newspapers and magazines, you should always think about whether such treatment will cause harm. Some recipes for treating heel spurs are unusually cruel to themselves (for example, the suggestion to beat the place where the growth is formed with a rolling pin so that the bone crumbles into small pieces), although their result is still debatable. We would not try such recipes on ourselves, so we will not describe them in detail.

But there are many useful recipes that solve the problem safely and almost painlessly, and such recipes and methods are worth considering. Although before using them, you need to have an accurate diagnosis in hand to know that the pain is caused by a heel spur, and not complications of diabetes or some other pathology, the treatment of which may be completely opposite. An accurate diagnosis will help you not to harm yourself by resorting to folk remedies.

But let us return to the comparatively safe, in our opinion, methods of treating heel spurs, the causes of which are most often caused by our short-sightedness.

Dry heat and massage

One of the simplest and most pleasant methods of treating plantar fasciitis and the heel spur caused by it is warming up the sore spot in hot sand. In summer, such treatment can be carried out on the seashore or at least on a beach whose surface is covered with sea or river sand. The sun's rays themselves will heat the sand, and all that remains is to immerse your feet in it.

Sand can also be used indoors, having made a reserve of it in advance and heated in the oven to the required temperature, so that the feet can easily tolerate it. Such warming significantly reduces pain and helps to overcome the inflammatory process.

The second option for dry heat treatment is to use coarse salt heated in a frying pan or oven. You should put your feet on the hot salt every day, after which it is advisable to go to bed. Such procedures significantly facilitate getting up in the morning and reduce the intensity of pain during the day.

Salt treatment can be made more effective if you not only put your feet on it, but also walk on small hot crystals for a quarter of an hour. Feet must be bare, and the salt must be hot, but not hot enough to cause a burn. Many people find that a couple of such procedures are enough to forget about the disease for a long time.

The third option also combines heat treatments and light massage. For this, use small potatoes boiled in their skins with a large amount of salt added. You will need 2-3 kg of small potatoes. After boiling, drain the water, cool slightly to an acceptable temperature (what your feet can stand), and pour into a basin. Sitting on a stool, begin to actively stir the potatoes with your feet while they are hot. After the procedure, wipe the soles and feet with a damp and then dry cloth and apply a mesh of iodine to the heel area. If you repeat the procedure daily, the symptoms of the disease should go away within a week.

To massage the heels with heel spurs, you can use a washboard with a wavy metal surface. You need to actively rub the sole on it 2 times a day for 10-15 minutes, focusing on the back of the foot. This treatment will be useful after the severe pain syndrome subsides. Otherwise, you can only aggravate the situation.

Another massage option is rolling a rolling pin with your heels. The procedure is carried out in your free time.

Other warming procedures

Saline solution. There are good reviews about treating heel spurs with salt baths. To prepare them, take 0.5 kg of any salt and 2.5 liters of boiling water. Boil the brine until the salt dissolves and cool to a temperature that our feet can tolerate. Dip your feet in the brine and steam them until the water cools. The course of treatment requires 10 daily procedures. The prepared brine can be used repeatedly in a heated form.

Soda and salt. For 2 liters of hot water, take 2 tablespoons of soda and salt. Mix the mixture and steam your feet in it until the solution cools (10-15 minutes). Salt helps fight inflammation, and soda softens the tissue of the sole and facilitates the penetration of salt inside. To treat spurs, you will need 10-15 procedures.

Salt and iodine. Make a salt solution in hot water and add 1 ml of iodine to it. Keep your feet in the solution until the water cools. Perform the procedure before bedtime. The course of treatment is 10-14 days.

Soda, potassium permanganate, iodine. For 2 liters of hot water, take 2 tablespoons of soda, 5-7 drops of iodine, a few grains of potassium permanganate. Mix everything thoroughly so that the manganese is completely dissolved. Steam your feet for 10 minutes. The course of treatment is 2 weeks.

Whey. Heat 3-4 liters of whey until hot and warm your feet with the formed heel spur in it for 1.5 weeks.

Alcohol. A fairly popular recipe, which still requires a pharmacy drug (vodka does not work as effectively as medical alcohol). The alcohol should be heated to a temperature of approximately 45-50 degrees and the feet should be placed in it for a quarter of an hour. It is believed that the recipe helps to quickly relieve pain and simultaneously disinfects inflamed tissues.

Alcohol, vinegar, salt. For 3 liters of hot water, take a bottle (100 ml) of medical alcohol, 5 level tablespoons of salt, 50 ml of table vinegar. Steam your feet in the hot mixture for 10-15 minutes. The course of treatment is 2 weeks.

Herbal collection. It will be useful to steam your feet in a decoction of medicinal herbs. For the collection, take equal parts of chamomile flowers, burdock leaves, nettle and wormwood, and the above-ground part of forest mallow. For 2 liters of water, take 2 heaped tablespoons of chopped herbal collection. Boil the composition over low heat for a quarter of an hour, remove from heat, cool until hot and steam your feet daily for 15 minutes a day. The course of treatment is about one month.

Jerusalem artichoke. You can also steam your feet for heel spurs in a Jerusalem artichoke decoction.

Compresses for heel spurs

Garlic. Grate a few cloves of garlic on a fine grater, apply the gruel to the heel, cover with plastic wrap, and bandage. Keep the compress on for at least 2.5-3 hours. If the skin on the sole is tender, the garlic will start to burn strongly. In this case, remove it, wipe the skin with a damp cloth and apply a soothing cream.

Garlic and chalk. For sensitive skin of the feet, a recipe in which garlic is taken not in its pure form, but in a mixture with crushed chalk (1:1) is more suitable. It is recommended to wrap the compress on top.

Salt and honey. For a compress, the components should be taken in equal parts. Preference is given to sea salt, which is rich in iodine, or iodized. The composition is applied to the sore heel in the evening and kept until the morning, after which the skin is washed with clean warm water.

Cabbage and honey. Another popular recipe used for inflammation and pain in the joints, as well as for the treatment of heel spurs, regardless of the cause of their occurrence. Take a small cabbage leaf and lubricate it with natural honey. Put the leaf on the heel and secure it with a bandage. Do the procedure at night, and in the morning wash the foot with water.

Propolis. A piece of propolis is softened and a thin cake is formed by hand according to the shape and size of the heel. Propolis is applied to the foot in the evening, putting on a thick simple sock on top. In the morning, the compress is removed.

Mumiyo and honey. We buy mumiyo in tablets. For 100 g of natural honey we take 25 tablets, which must first be crushed into powder. We heat the composition in a water bath and apply it to the heel while hot, covering it with cellophane and fixing it with a bandage. We do the procedure at night for 10 days.

Ammonia and oil. Mix 1 teaspoon of ammonia with 1 tablespoon of homemade unrefined vegetable oil, shake the resulting mixture thoroughly. After the reaction, the mixture will resemble sour cream. Place the mixture on a gauze or cotton pad folded in several layers, apply to the heel, cover with cellophane on top and put on a thick sock. If it stings a lot, remove and wash the skin. If it is bearable, leave the mixture overnight.

Black radish. The root vegetable is crushed using a grater, the gruel is transferred to a piece of gauze and applied to the sore heel, covered with a piece of cellophane and secured with a bandage. It is more convenient to carry out the procedure at night.

Potatoes and kerosene. Mash the jacket potatoes, add 1 teaspoon of kerosene and place the mixture on a piece of gauze or cellophane. Fix the mixture on the leg with a bandage and put a sock on top. The course of treatment is 10-12 procedures.

Nettle. Grind the leaves and shoots of young nettle in a meat grinder and apply to the heel area as a compress overnight (if possible, it is better to leave it on for 24 hours). Continue the treatment for a month.

Knotweed. This popular herb should be chopped fresh and poured into a sock. Change when the plant dries out.

Lilac. Fill the jar to the top with fragrant flowers and pour in alcohol. Infuse for 2 weeks. Make compresses with the tincture at night.

Cockerels. These beautiful flowers, called iris, iris or cockerels, can be found in many yards and estates. But in fact, this beautiful plant can not only please the eye, but also treat heel spurs. For medicinal purposes, the root of the plant is used, which must be minced and filled with alcohol for 2 weeks, placed in a dark place, after which the medicine can be used as directed. For 250 g of alcohol or vodka, take 250 g of crushed root. We moisten a cotton pad with the finished tincture and put it on the heel, covering it with cellophane and securing it with a bandage. We make a compress at night, remove it in the morning.

Some sources recommend alternating such compresses with Vaseline ones. The course of treatment will be 3 weeks.

Raw potatoes. The gruel of grated unpeeled potatoes is lightly squeezed and applied to the heel area, covered with plastic wrap. The compress is applied for 24 hours. The course of treatment is at least 8 procedures. For severe pain, use the recipe for a month.

Aspirin and honey. Mix 2 tablets of acetylsalicylic acid crushed into powder and 1 ampoule (1 ml) of iodine. Apply the mixture in a thin layer to the heels, cover with film and put on thick socks. Do the procedure at night once a week. The course of treatment is 2 procedures.

Turpentine. The sore leg can be thoroughly lubricated with turpentine (turpentine oil) at night. Then put on 2 socks: first a simple one, then a woolen one. The course of treatment is 2 weeks, then take a break of the same duration and repeat the treatment.

Other treatment methods

Flatbreads made from healing dough. There are two interesting recipes for such flatbreads, which are used as a compress:

• Flour, turpentine, sunflower oil. Take equal parts of oil and enough flour to make a firm dough. Roll out small flat cakes the size of your heel from the dough and apply them to the sore spot overnight, covering with cellophane and putting on a woolen sock. The course of treatment is 5 days.
• Flour, honey. From the two components we prepare an elastic dough and apply it in the form of a flat cake on the heel area, as in the previous recipe, covering it with cellophane and putting a sock on top. The course of treatment is 10 procedures.
• Flatbread made from black bread, honey. Apply honey on top of a piece of bread and put it on the sore heel overnight. You can put a plastic bag and a sock on top of your foot. This treatment is effective at the first symptoms of pain.

Medical bile. This healing substance for the treatment of heel spurs, regardless of the cause of the growth, can be used according to different recipes:

• The easiest way is to apply pure bile to the heel for several weeks, soaking a tampon or bandage folded in several layers in the drugstore preparation and applying it to the heel area overnight. The compress can be covered with cotton wool and waxed paper on top, but not with film (there must be access to air to avoid burning). Put on a simple sock on top.
• In the second recipe, the effect of bile is enhanced with red pepper. 6 pods of red pepper are poured with 100 ml of medical bile and 300 ml of camphor alcohol. The composition is infused in a dark place for at least two weeks. A tampon is soaked in the finished medicine and applied to the heel area. The duration of the application is no more than 20 minutes. The course of treatment can vary from 2 to 4 weeks.
• This recipe is able to remove pain already during the first 2 procedures. For 80 g of medical bile, take 40 g of alcohol (can be replaced with vodka) and 10 g of grated laundry soap. Mix the mixture well, apply to the heel, cover with cotton wool and fix with a sock.

Here is another popular recipe for joint pain and heel spurs based on eggs, vinegar and fat. This recipe causes a lot of controversy, but according to reviews, it is quite effective and has already helped many people.

To prepare the healing ointment, we will need a fresh (preferably homemade) egg, vinegar essence (some sources recommend replacing it with nine percent vinegar, but there is an opinion that the recipe may not work with it), 200 g of any fat (lard, rendered unsalted lard, butter, heavy cream). First, place the washed dry egg in an empty glass, then add vinegar essence to it (it should cover the egg) and leave the mixture for several days until the egg shell dissolves completely. The egg will hold only due to the inner film.

Now carefully take out the egg and put it in another bowl. Remove the inner shell (discard it). Now soften the butter or fat in a warm place (the cream does not need to be heated) and mix it with the egg. Beat the mixture with a mixer or blender. You will get a medicine that resembles an ointment.

This ointment can be applied to the heels at night, covering them with a cotton pad or folded bandage and putting socks on top. The pain goes away after a few procedures.

If you use the remaining vinegar essence in the glass in the previous recipe, the ointment can be applied to the skin for no more than 1-2 hours. In this case, a burn of the heel tissue is not excluded, after which the skin on it will peel off.

Many people consider this recipe to be very effective, but there are also many reviews where people complain about burns (the pain from the heel spur goes away, only a new one appears from the burn). So before using such a recipe on a large area, it is better to try applying the composition to a small area of the skin in the knee or heel area.

In principle, the same can be said about the other recipes given here. Caution never hurts if the recipes use substances that can cause tissue burns (alcohol, iodine, bile, acetic essence, vinegar, etc.).

If we are talking about compresses and applications, it is necessary to remember that such procedures will be much more effective if they are carried out after preliminary steaming of the skin in the heel area. This way, the medicinal compositions will be able to penetrate deep into the tissues and exert their healing effect there.

As an option for accelerating the resorption of heel spurs and preventing degenerative processes in the area of tendons and fascia, you can purchase a special portable device in a pharmacy or online store that safely affects the tissues of the body with microvibrations. The Vitafon device, which, among other things, is also used to treat heel spurs, unlike drug, surgical or folk treatment, helps almost all patients with such a problem. The only thing is that depending on the severity of the situation, a different number of procedures may be needed.

Even if the problem of plantar fasciitis and heel spur formation becomes irrelevant, the device can be used to treat arthritis and arthrosis, herniated discs, enuresis, osteochondrosis, gout and improve the condition of many other diseases.

Any selected recipes are designed for a specific course of treatment. It is recommended to discuss the possibility of using any of the methods of treating a spur with folk remedies, as well as the number of procedures, with a doctor. This will help prevent complications of existing diseases, because some components of healing compositions can cause allergic reactions (for example, honey) or have a negative effect on the thyroid gland (this mainly applies to recipes with the addition of iodine). The course of treatment recommended by the doctor must be completed to the end, otherwise you cannot count on a lasting result.

Treating heel spurs at home involves meeting all the same requirements that are presented in addition to drug therapy. That is, traditional medicine does not relieve us of the need to adjust our weight, review our diet, protect the sore leg from stress, wear orthopedic insoles or shoes, use orthoses during night sleep, etc.

After the inflammation and pain subside, it is useful to do therapeutic exercises to prevent relapses of plantar fasciitis, which can lead to the appearance of new growths on the heel. Exercise therapy, which can be safely done at home, will help make the plantar fascia stronger and more elastic, which will prevent them from tearing under load.

First, we do a couple of exercises to warm up the muscles in the ankle and lower leg area associated with the Achilles tendon.

• We stand facing the wall and rest our hands on it. We place our feet one after the other so that they are in one line. We place the leg with the heel spur behind the healthy one. Slowly squat until we begin to feel a strong tension in the muscles in the shin of the sore leg. We remain in this position for 15-20 seconds, then stand up. Repeat 2-3 times.

If spurs appear on both legs, change the position of the legs regularly.

• Stand facing the wall, place a support (a beam or a thick book at least 5 cm thick) under your feet. Stand on the support with your feet so that your heels remain in the air. Lean toward the wall until you feel a strong tension in your shin and ankle. Now start to rise up on your toes and lower yourself, repeating the exercise 15 times.

Next come the actual therapeutic physical exercises, which can only be done after a preliminary warm-up:

• The exercise consists of digging a cylindrical or round object with the foot. It is performed in a sitting position. A tennis ball, a plastic bottle of water, a kitchen rolling pin or other objects of a suitable shape can be used as a massager.
• This exercise is also performed in a sitting position, but now the objects should not be rolled, but collected using fingers. You need to take small objects (coins, buttons, beads, pencils, etc.). It is better if the size of the objects is different.
• The last exercise can be done either in a sitting position or standing on your feet. In a sitting position, you can lean forward and grab your foot with your hands in the toe area, pulling it towards you as much as possible (do not bend your legs). You need to stay in this position for 15 seconds. In a standing position, you can use a skipping rope, rope, bandage, and other improvised means to stretch your foot.

This is a kind of stretch for the plantar fascia, which provides them with elasticity and resistance to stress.

By doing such exercises regularly, you can prevent relapses of heel spurs. They will also be useful for preventing the disease in those who have never encountered this painful disease. The causes of heel spurs are varied and it is often very difficult to exclude them all, so you cannot be sure that the disease will pass you by. But you can make it so that the likelihood of its development becomes minimal.

How to achieve lasting treatment results?

It is important to understand that, despite the many different traditional and folk methods of treating heel spurs, sometimes you have to try more than one treatment regimen to achieve good results. For some, a couple of procedures of not the most effective folk treatment are enough so that pain and suffering do not remind of themselves for decades, while others try different methods and means, but the disease is in no hurry to retreat or the remission does not last long.

One of the reasons for the lack of stable positive results is the unreliability of the diagnosis. Often, patients themselves decide that they have a heel spur and begin to treat it with different methods. Such treatment, at best, will not provide lasting relief. But we cannot exclude the fact that it can just as well harm a person, only worsening the existing pathology. Treatment of a heel spur should be started only after the final verdict of a specialist is in hand.

Another reason why treatment does not give the desired effect is the termination of procedures immediately after the disappearance of heel pain. Without completing the full course of treatment, it is impossible to achieve a lasting result.

And finally, treatment is treatment, but without changing your lifestyle and your attitude to nutrition and physical activity, you can hardly count on a good effect. And this new lifestyle should be fixed in a person forever. He will have to pay more attention to his health and the prevention of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and other body systems.

Prevention of heel spur recurrence includes:

• Wearing comfortable shoes with heels no higher than 4 cm, using orthopedic insoles.
• Performing exercises aimed at preventing flat feet.
• Regular examinations by an endocrinologist and gynecologist (for women) to promptly identify disorders in the endocrine system, hormonal imbalances, etc.
• Avoiding physical inactivity. An active lifestyle means daily walks, moderate physical activity, and sports (not professionally).
• Taking measures to help avoid injuries to the lower limbs and spine, limiting the load on them.
• Control of diet and eating behavior: limiting the caloric content of food, introducing a large amount of vegetables and fruits into the diet, limiting portion sizes, etc. If necessary, weight loss: moderate physical activity plus diet.

On the doctor's recommendation, regardless of the cause of the heel spur in the past, the patient will be offered maintenance courses of massage, exercise therapy, physiotherapy procedures, the action of which is aimed at preventing a relapse of the disease. It is in the patient's interests not to ignore such recommendations if he does not want to re-experience excruciating heel pain due to the formation of a bone growth and tissue inflammation caused by it.